Getting your home ready to sell

Inside

CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN!

I cannot say it enough.  Have the carpet shampooed; wax the floors; wash the walls, windows, blinds, drapes and lighting fixtures.  Consider hiring a cleaning service.

Kitchen and bathrooms...Clear off counter tops, take away everything that you possibly can.  Maximize the available counter space.  Kitchens and bathrooms should be gleaming.  If unsightly, have the tub re-caulked and remove mineral deposits and grime from the shower walls.  Clean the stove, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher.  Polish wood cabinets.


Repairs...Identify and repair dripping faucets, sticking or creaking doors, etc.  When people see areas of disrepair that have accumulated over the years and you overlook, they begin to wonder whether there may be other unseen problems and often remove the house from consideration..

Closets...Remove out of season clothing.  Organize everything that remains in your closet; clothes, shoes, etc.  Remove all clutter from cabinets and closets.  No matter how big a closet is, if it looks cluttered and crowded the prospective buyer is going to think that the closet is too small.

Furniture...The less furniture, the larger a room appears to be.

A light appearance...As a rule, do everything to lighten the appearance of the home.  Make sure the blinds are easily opened, the window treatments and windows are clean.  Anything that you replace should be replaced with light colors.  Repaint any room beginning to look shabby.  Ask yourself the question: "What can I do to make this room look larger?"

Depersonalize...You need to depersonalize your life in the house so that prospective buyers might be able to see themselves, their furnishings, their life, in your home.  Remove family photographs.  Pack away collections.

Outside

Walk the property with a pad and pencil.  List anything that you think is less than satisfactory without regard to cost or time.  You can review the list afterward to determine what you can and cannot repair.

The house...Take a close look as you walk the property.  Make time to clean anything that looks unkept or dirty; repair or replace anything that looks loose, dingy, rusted or broken.  Make sure the doorbell works.  Replace a tired-looking mail box; clean the exterior light fixtures; wash the windows; mend and/or replace screens; straighten and clean the gutters and downspouts; replace loose/broken shingles or shutters.

The yard...Trim and weed the beds; trim the trees and shrubs, rake the leaves and pine straw, lay in ground cover, mend the fence, fix the gate latch, pick up litter, pick up toys, yard tools and garbage cans and  store neatly in a storage area.  Consider a landscaping/lawn service.

Outdoor furniture and toys...Consider disposing if unsightly.  Examine, spruce-up, paint and stage any pieces that remain.

Front entry...It is the first thing your buyers see as they stand and wait for the door to open. It is worth the extra effort to spruce it up.

Garage...The time has come,  Discard virtually everything in the garage that has not been used for a year.  Wash the garage.

Driveway, patio, deck, walkways...Clean, pressure wash, declutter, repair.